, 1887-11-04
A DELINQUENT ELEPHANT.
a Sight at tho Palace of M~andaIay-l
Beast in Disgrace.

Beast in Disgrace.
Many were the sights l witnessed in
and out of the palace of Mandalay, but
nothing struck mn attention so much as
the number of trained elephants, lately
belonging to the deposed monarch, and
the splendid quarters in which they We're
located, and my surprise was still more
increased when l was introduced to and
entered into conversation with the gem
tleman who presided over this extensive
establishment. He turned out to be a
real native of the Isle of Wight. The
white or mouse colored elephant was
there of course, but chow are the mighty
fallen" He was no longer in a magnif-
cent pavilion, alone in his grandeur, sur
rounded by many servitors of the king;
or the contrary, he was in a stall like the
rest of the beasts, and, if anything, less
noticed than many of his finer brethren.
One more anecdote about this wonder
full beast, and l ave done with elephants.
Shortly before our arrival one of these
animals had greatly disgraced himself by
refusing to carry a certain weight of
goods which had been piled on his back.
There is the regulation weight, and the
beasts know to an ounce what they ought
to carry, and if any one of the mahouts
attempt to put a surplus amount on his
or their backs it is Immediately shot onto
the ground. The animal in question had
been duly laden with a weight which was
under the regulation scale; but although
it had been twice weighed, as Mrs. Camp
would say, before his own eyes, he still
refused to carry it. This was too much
for even his indulgent driver, so he ac-
cordingly reported, and Just as we arrived
he was about to be tried for his extraor-
binary and obstinate conduct.
Several elephants were led out into a
large courtyard, forming a kind of circle
round the delinquent, who seemed al
ready to feel his position acutely, for he
glanced ~anxiously from time to time at
his mahout, who was visibly affected and
who stood at his head. A karen presided
over the court martial and read aloud the
indictment against the offender, the ele-
plants which constituted the jury ap-
pareHtly listening with great attention.
After the statement was finished and the
mahout examined, who, by the way,
gave his evidence with great reluctance,
the karen decided that the case had been
distinctly proved and the culprit was adj
judged the punishment of twenty strokes.
Upon the announcement of the verdict
the jury marched in almost solemn man
ner to a distant part of the yard and re-
turned with a switch about as large as a
fair sized scaffold pole. In the mean
time the mahout had been addressing the
offender, who was now weeping copious-
ly, large drops of tears falling from his
eyes, and occasionally a shrill and pc
culiar sound issued from his capacious
throat.
The executioners of the law were at
hand and stood about twelve to fourteen
feet apart, each balancing with peculiar
nicely in his trunk the aforesaid switch.
The culprit was led up to the place, and
as he passed number one there was a
ound heard which resembled somewhat
a sharp clap of thunder; it was the first
blow delivered by the dread myrmidons
of the law. The blow was followed by a
sharp, shril scream, although there was
evidently an attempt on the part of the
culprit to suppress any exhibition of pain.
This punishment continued until the
whole of the sentence had been carried
out. Although 1 felt considerable SYM
pathy with the unfortunate delinquent, |
was at the same time intensely amused
with the thorough business like air with
which these ministers of justice carried
out the sentence. There were no light
blows delivered; but, as a matter of fact,
each elephant determined to administer a
heavier amount of punishment than his
neighbor, and the sly twinkle in the eye
as the blow was delivered was a sight to
ee.-Primrose Magazine.